Château d’Épiré

One
of the oldest and most celebrated domaines in Savennières, Chateau d’Épiré is
rich in history, not only for its fabulous architectural rendition of the Petit
Trianon of Versailles, but most especially for its exquisite wines. Savennières
is situated just southwest of Angers, on the north bank of the Loire River.
Vines have been cultivated there since the time of the Romans. The Plantagenet
dynasty allowed for the first exports of the wine to be sent to Great Britian
in the 11th century. The domaine itself has been in the Bizard
family continuously since the 17th century. The most recent owners
and caretakers of the land are Monsieur and Madame Luc Bizard. They own eleven
hectares, nine of which are entirely dedicated to the cultivation of Pineau de
la Loire, known today as Chenin Blanc. The château is exquisite, but the pièce de résistance is their winery,
formerly a Romanesque chapel, which is from the 12th century. Truly
a blessed wine!

Despite
the beauty and timelessness of the building structures, it is the vineyard for
which the domaine is best known. The Savennières from Épiré is regarded as Grand Cru. The domaine works primarily
three parcels: La Croix Picot, Le Parc, and Le Hu-Boyau. It is the latter that
sits just above another famous vineyard, La Coulée de Serrant. The soils here
are rich, and the microclimate is ideal. Southern and south-eastern sun
exposure brings ripeness to the grapes, while the proximity to the Loire River
keeps the temperatures moderate. The subsoils are comprised of sandstone and
schist, and the top soil is a beautiful blue slatey schist that covers the
vineyard floors, lending nerve and firmness. We import two cuvées of
Savennières from Château d’Épiré. Their Cuvée Spéciale is blended by Kermit
from their best parcel and creates a dry wine, austere within its first two or
three years, that develops substantially with age. This cuvée is aged in
traditional but largely abandoned chestnut barrels. The other cuvée is also
dry, but more accessible young, with notes of exotic fruits. Both are delicious
and spectacularly complex, and show a value disproportionate to their pedigree.

Technical Information

Wine

Blend

Vine Age

Soil Type

Vineyard Area*

Savennières

Chenin Blanc

30-55 years

Schist

8.5 ha

Savennières “Cuvée Spéciale”

Chenin Blanc

Planted in 1989

Schist

1.5 ha

Savennières Moelleux

Chenin Blanc

30-55 years

Schist

1 ha

Anjou RougeClos de la Cerisaie

Cabernet Franc

40 years

Schist

1.5 ha

* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

•
The Bizards’ vineyard land sits at the highest point in
the Savennières appellation

•
Vines are pruned in gobelet

•
Cover crop is planted in between every other vineyard row

•
Hand harvested

•
Grapes are pressed gently by pneumatic press

• Juice rests for 24 hours
before being racked into stainless steel cuves or barrel for fermentation to
begin

Savennières“Cuvée Spéciale”:

• Bottled especially for
Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant

• Wine ferments for 6
weeks in small, stainless steel cuves

• Ages for about 6 months sur lie in very old chestnut demi-muids

• Bottled unfiltered

Savennières Moelleux:

• Fermentation lasts one month in acacia barrels

• Aged in acacia barrels until April bottling

• 35 grams/Liter residual sugar

• Parcel is located near the Loire river and benefits from the mists from the river, which add in the development of botrytis

MISCELLANEA

The Château d’Épiré filters all of
its wines except those sold to Kermit Lynch. Why? Sadly, the majority of
European consumers and sommeliers are willing to forsake body and taste for
perfect stability and sediment-free wines…. Based on my tastings of each over
three different vintages, there is a two-point difference between the normal
cuvées and the Cuvée Spéciale and another two-point difference between it and
Lynch’s unfiltered cuvée.

-Pierre Rovani, The Wine Advocate

It is difficult to
imagine another wine from France likely to provide the sheer intellectual
marvel we seem to enjoy with every bottle of d’Épiré’s Savennières.

-Bruce Neyers, KLWM

The Cuvée Spéciale is what it
usually is, their best parcel, old vines next to the Coulée de Serrant,
fermented and raised in demi-muids, and bottled unfiltered. All for us! It is
intense with a strong goût
de terroir to go with the fruit. It
is powerful, coiled like a spring, needs some time, and can age well into the
next century.